1. Field of the Invention
The invention disclosed relates broadly to packaging, particularly to film wrapped product packages such as film wrapped trays of poultry and more specifically to a method of forming the bottom seams of such packages to accommodate labeling of the packages.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is known to wrap products in transparent, plastic heat shrinkable film and then to shrink the film so as to protect the product and display it in a commercially attractive manner. In the initial process of wrapping, the longitudinal edges of the film are typically sealed to form a seam on the bottom of the product package and which extends along a line that is parallel to the conveyor path and that coincides with the central longitudinal vertical plane passing through both the conveyor and the product package. The width-wise extending edges of the film at each end of the product package are also sealed across the width of the package to form a seam which extends perpendicular to the conveyor path. To make this film wrap commercially attractive, heat is applied to the film to cause it to shrink and achieve intimate wrinkle-free contact with the product package.
A horizontal package, wrapping apparatus which is representative of the art is taught in U.S. Pat. No. 4,841,715. The apparatus of the '715 patent includes a conveyor, a film feed fed from a film supply, a pair of converging belts, a pair of side belts and a pair of sealing rollers symmetrically arranged so as to film wrap a product package as described above. The central, longitudinal, vertical plane of the package wrapping apparatus also normally constitutes the central, longitudinal vertical plane of the conveyor, film feed, gripper chains, converging belts, side belts and sealing rollers and consequently the bottom seam of the package is centered widthwise on the bottom of the tray.
The conventional film wrapped product package has a smooth top surface ideal for placement of the producer's name and logo. However, the bottom surface is conventionally divided into two small substantially equal size surfaces by the ungainly center-line seam, thus making the bottom surface less than ideal for placement of large readable information labels. The inadequate labeling space available and the unattractive nature of the bottom surface of the product package often causes the producer to abandon placement of informational labels on the bottom surface altogether.
Recently enacted United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) meat packaging labeling directives have increased the importance of the bottom surface of meat product packages for receiving readable information labels thereon. The new USDA directives require, in general, that each retail package containing a meat product be labeled with safe cooking and handling instructions to enhance the consumer's knowledge concerning storage, preparation, cooking and preservation of leftovers. This new directive further requires that the instructions be readable and that the direction of print on the top of the package be the same as on the bottom of the package. In response to this directive and for reasons of appearance and economy, it has been found desirable to pre-print the information label on the film rather than on a separate label. Traditionally, the central longitudinal axis of the wrapping film is used as a spatial reference for symmetrical placement of print on the film prior to wrapping the product in the film.
The acceptable areas for receiving an instruction panel are the bottom and top surfaces of the film-wrapped package. However, producers of the product contained in the package typically reserve the top surface for placement of "catchy" slogans, logos and design elements to entice a consumer to inspect and purchase the enclosed product. Unobstructed transparent film areas are also required in a film wrapped package so consumers can inspect the product contained therein. Therefore, substantial amounts of textual material, such as safe handling instructions, are typically placed on the bottom surface of the film wrapped package. As stated above, the current film packaging practice creates a film wrapped product package with a bottom seam that coincides with the product bottom surface longitudinal center-line. A safe handling information label of adequate size when placed on the bottom of a conventionally film wrapped package is caused to be divided by this seam into two separate information fragments. As a result, a consumer may find the bottom of the package cluttered and unappealing and thus decide not to read the label at all, or may think that the safe handling instructions are fully contained in only one of the fragments and not read the fragment containing the remainder of the safe handling instructions.
A method of packaging which would permit an increase in the label receptive surface area of the bottom surface of a film wrapped meat package would signify a significant improvement in meat product technology. Such an additional surface area could, for example, be used for advertisement of the product and for placement of a USDA safe handling instruction label that complies with USDA directives without compromising the attractiveness of the product package front surface where traditional product and trademark information is typically placed. However, the conventional product packaging method and apparatus are not adapted to wrap a product package so as to form a bottom seam offset from the central longitudinal axis of the bottom surface of a film wrapped product package, and thus do not provide a product package bottom surface capable of receiving large attractive labels, in particular, USDA required safe handling instructions for meat product packages. In addition, the symmetrical placement of pre-printed labels on film according to current practice does not permit pre-printed labels to be placed in proper relationship to the top and bottom surfaces of a film wrapped product package having a bottom seam offset from the product package bottom surface longitudinal center-line.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a product package having a bottom seam offset from and parallel to the longitudinal center-line of the bottom surface of the package so as to provide a large unobstructed area on the bottom surface for large labels and attractive design elements, and adequate unobstructed space for USDA required safe handling instructions.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a method in which selected components of the '715 patent type product packaging apparatus are asymmetrically displaced with respect to the central longitudinal vertical plane of the product packaging apparatus so as to produce a film wrapped product package having a bottom seam offset from and parallel to the center-line of the bottom surface of the product package.
It is also a further object of this invention to provide a method for proper placement of labels on the film wrap prior to wrapping a product package with such film wrap so as to be able to locate a large, readable label, such as the USDA required safe handling instruction label, on the bottom surface of a product package having a bottom seam offset from the location of the label and offset from the product package bottom surface center-line.
Other objects and advantages will be more fully apparent from the following disclosure and appended claims.